“What is that woman talking about? I don’t own any garden gnomes. Frankly, I think they’re extremely overrated. My grandmother used to have some. Very ugly.”
“Miss Alexander, come with us.”
Mystified, Kate trailed after the two police officers, following them around the corner of her house to the rear of her section.
The back garden looked unloved. A profusion of weeds choked puny petunias while hedges ran rampant, branches reaching out in every direction. The lawn had needed mowing two weeks ago. Now, it grew knee-high. Kate blushed when the first police officer had to turn sideways to squeeze between a large leafy shrub and the house. The second police officer held back the branch so Kate could move past.
“Thank you,” she mumbled. Staring at her feet, she made a mental note to add gardening to her list of things to do. Perhaps toward the top of her list, slightly above attic cleaning.
“Miss Alexander, are these yours?”
Kate came to a dead halt. The unkempt lawn was a familiar sight. The small plaster figurines arranged in a circle around her clothesline were not.
In the light of day, the gaudy-colored gnomes appeared rough and scruffy with noticeable patches and repairs. They glared spitefully as though resenting her presence. She shook herself mentally, cursing her active imagination. Silly. They were harmless garden gnomes.
She turned to stare at the two officers. “Ah…”
“Do the gnomes belong to you, Miss Alexander?”
“They’re not mine,” Kate said. “They weren’t here yesterday.”
Purchase Playing to Win
About the Author
Shelley lives in New Zealand with her husband and a cheeky Jack Russell/mystery breed puppy.
Typical New Zealanders, Shelley and her husband left home for their big OE soon after they married (translation of New Zealand speak – big overseas experience). A twelve month adventure lengthened to six years of roaming the world. Enduring memories include being almost sat on by a mountain gorilla in Rwanda, lazing on white sandy beaches in India, whale watching in Alaska, searching for leprechauns in Ireland, and dealing with ghosts in an English pub.
While travel is still a big attraction, these days Shelley is most likely found in front of her computer following another love – that of writing stories of romance and adventure. Other interests include watching rugby (strictly for research purposes), cycling, baking bread and curling up with a good book.
Visit Shelley at her website.
Visit Shelley’s blog.
Join Shelley’s newsletter.
Visit Shelley’s Facebook author page.
Follow Shelley at Pinterest.
Join her on Twitter.
Visit Shelley at Goodreads.
Other Books by Shelley
Paranormal
Price of Love
Blue Moon Dragon
Lynx to the Pharaoh
Middlemarch Shifters
My Scarlet Woman
My Younger Lover
My Peeping Tom
My Assassin
My Estranged Lover
My Feline Protector
My Determined Suitor
My Cat Burglar
My Stray Cat
My Second Chance
My Plan B
House of the Cat series
Sampled & Seduced
Captured & Seduced
Claimed & Seduced
Merry & Seduced
Stranded & Seduced
Seized & Seduced
Hunted & Seduced
Festive & Seduced
Stranger Things Happen
Wild Child
Cat Burglar in Training
One Night of Misbehavior
Blindside
Fringe Benefits
Lovers at Last
Ain’t Misbehaving
Playing to Win
Summer Encounter
Love and Friendship series
The Bottom Line
Past Regrets
Farmer Wants a Wife
Clare Chronicles
Part-Time Lovers
Enemy Lovers
Military Men
Innocent Next Door
Soldiers with Benefits
Safeguarding Sorrel
Sci-fi/Futuristic
Interplanetary Love
Alien Encounter series
Hinekiri
Alexandre
Gay Romance
Eye on the Ball
Lone Wolf
Seeking Kokopelli
No Defense
Best Man
Last Wish
Historical
Mistress of Merrivale
The Spurned Viscountess
Evening Tryst
Copyright Page
Reformed Bad Girl
Copyright © 2016 Shelley Munro
ISBN: 978-0-473-37100-5
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Shelley Munro